Thomas L. Harper

MaxFlo Chemical Oilfield Solutions

Hydraulic fracturing has become a common practice in the petroleum industry, and several systems have been developed to obtain a suitable crosslinked polymer for the treatment. However, each system has its strengths and weaknesses. This study aims to investigate the effect of three different ligand types attached to zirconium (Zr) on the performanc...

A new class of permanent clay stabilizers has been developed inorganic based on an aluminum/zirconium-based compound. The increased charge density of the molecule allows it to bind more strongly to swelling clays, while its relatively low molecular weight allows it to stabilize the clay permanently without causing formation damage by blocking the p...

Polymer crosslinked solutions support many beneficial applications in the oil industry, such as water shutoff and hydraulic fracturing. These techniques pose challenges, and, in order to reach a favorable result, high quality gels are required. This study investigates the effectiveness of four zirconium-based, one aluminum-based, and one aluminum-z...

Hydraulic fracturing has been a common practice in US. The chemistry of hydraulic fracturing fluids is very complicated, which makes the optimization process challenging. In designing fracturing fluids, one of the major unknowns is the fluid chemistry. Therefore, understanding the chemistry and interactions between chemicals to form a strong gel is...

Clay stabilizers are used to prevent fines migration and clay swelling, which are caused by the contact of clays with low salinity or high pH fluids. Previously used clay stabilizers, including hydroxy-aluminum, zirconium oxychloride solutions, and cationic polymers have several drawbacks. Hydroxy-aluminum and zirconium oxychloride solutions can be...